EUROPE

SPAIN'S TORRENTIAL FLOODS TRAP MOTORISTS AS CATALONIA DECLARES RED ALERT

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Torrential rain battered Spain's northeastern Catalonia region on Sunday, unleashing flash floods that trapped motorists in cars and homes across the province of Tarragona.

MUNICH AIRPORT SHUT DOWN FOLLOWING DRONE SIGHTINGS

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Munich Airport was forced to suspend operations on Thursday evening after drones were spotted near its airspace, grounding 17 flights and affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Authorities confirmed that an additional 15 flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt as officials scrambled to ensure safety. The sudden disruption left thousands stranded overnight as Germany's second-busiest airport closed earlier than its midnight curfew.

LÁSZLÓ KRASZNAHORKAI HONORED WITH 2025 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

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The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, whose dark, apocalyptic, and deeply philosophical works have earned him global recognition as one of the most challenging yet rewarding voices in modern literature. Announced at a ceremony in Stockholm on Thursday, the Nobel Committee hailed Krasznahorkai "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art."

Born in Gyula, Hungary, in 1954, Krasznahorkai's writing reflects a haunting sense of loss and existential inquiry rooted in a country that endured Soviet repression. His novels are populated by restless, despairing characters who search for meaning amid chaos. The late Susan Sontag famously described him as "the contemporary master of the apocalypse," a label that perfectly captures his artistic universe: bleak, absurd, and unrelentingly profound.

In his 1989 masterpiece The Melancholy of Resistance, a mysterious traveling circus arrives in a decaying town, bringing with it only the carcass of a giant whale. What follows is an eruption of hysteria and violence that mirrors the collapse of order itself. Critics have interpreted the novel as an allegory for the rise of fascism, though Krasznahorkai resists moral simplicity. As the Nobel Committee observed, his fiction is marked by "absurdism and grotesque excess," forcing readers to confront the madness of existence without the comfort of resolution.

Krasznahorkai's prose is equally distinctive. His famously long, winding sentences (sometimes stretching for pages) create a rhythm that his translator George Szirtes once likened to a "slow lava flow." The author himself once remarked that the full stop "belongs to God," suggesting that human experience is too complex for tidy conclusions. This stylistic daring is evident in his 1985 debut Sátántangó, later adapted into a seven-hour film by Béla Tarr, which Sontag called "enthralling for every minute."

His more recent work, Herscht 07769 (2021), written in a single sentence, has been praised for capturing the absurdities of contemporary Germany, featuring a physicist whose apocalyptic theories lead him to write desperate letters to Angela Merkel.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated the writer on X, calling the win "a moment of national pride," despite Krasznahorkai's open criticism of his government. The award, which includes 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million), cements his place among literary greats such as Han Kang and Jon Fosse, past laureates recognized for expanding the boundaries of human expression through art.

UN REIMPOSES ECONOMIC AND MILITARY SANCTIONS ON IRAN

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Ten years after being lifted as part of an international nuclear agreement, sweeping UN economic and military sanctions have been reimposed on Iran. The UK, France, and Germany, key European partners in the original deal, triggered the "snapback" mechanism, citing Iran's "continued nuclear escalation" and lack of cooperation.

LECORNU RESIGNS AS FRENCH PM AFTER LESS THAN A MONTH IN OFFICE

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The new French government is already in crisis as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned on Monday, less than a day after his cabinet was revealed. The Elysée Palace announced the departure after a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. The shock move occurred just 26 days after Lecornu took office, succeeding the government of François Bayrou which had previously collapsed. Stocks fell sharply on the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday morning.

META TO INTRODUCE PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS IN UK FOR AD-FREE EXPERIENCE

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is introducing paid subscriptions in the UK for users who prefer an ad-free experience. The company announced that it will begin notifying users in the coming weeks, allowing them to opt for a subscription to access the platforms without advertisements. While EU users can already subscribe starting at €5.99 (£5) per month for an ad-free experience, UK subscriptions will begin at a lower price of £2.99 per month.

MUNICH AIRPORT RESUMES FLIGHTS AFTER CLOSURE DUE TO DRONE SIGHTINGS

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Munich airport in Germany resumed normal operations on Friday following an overnight closure due to multiple drone sightings. This marks the latest in a series of aviation disruptions across Europe attributed to similar incidents. Recently, airports in Denmark, Norway, and Poland have suspended flights because of unidentified drones. Romania and Estonia have alleged Russian involvement in these incidents, though Russia has denied the accusations. The closure of Munich's airspace on Thursday night resulted in the cancellation or diversion of over 30 flights and left nearly 3,000 passengers without accommodations.

FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS

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Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, has been handed a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of criminal conspiracy related to illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The Paris court acquitted him of other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. Sarkozy has announced plans to appeal, but the sentence requires him to start serving time immediately.